CD preview: Every Avenue, 'Picture Perfect'
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We've been disappointed by sophomore albums by pop rock artists we love before--see Cute Is What We Aim For, Quietdrive--so we were very happy that Michigan-based Every Avenue's Picture Perfect, off Fearless Records, is even better than their solid debut, Shh. Just Go with It. The record is out November 3 and is available for only $7.99 at Target.
The band, who plays Martini Ranch November 11 with The White Tie Affair, shows diversity on the disc with a mix of upbeat tracks and a couple ballads--and singer David Ryan Strauchman even gets a little angry!. Their strength is in catchy tracks, but their slower songs are just as compelling because Strauchman has a gorgeous voice with a lot of range.
He's been hurt, though, judging from the negative tone in many of the songs' very personal lyrics, which tend to be narrative and give listeners glimpses into his romantic life. Just like the first album, he seems to be unlucky in love. In "Happy the Hard Way," he sings, "How could a love hurt this bad? How could we lose all we had?" In "Finish What You Started," he begs, ""If you had the nerve just to walk away, then kill me with the words that you didn't say."
And in the scathing first single, "Tell Me I'm a Wreck," Stauchman says he was never interested in a long-term thing with his ex and insults her clinginess and fashion sense.
Ouch.
The fun thing about Every Avenue is that, no matter how brutal the lyrics, every song is able to be sung along to. It's a wonder their songs haven't become pop hits, while less impressive bands Boys Like Girls and All Time Low have made it onto Top 40 stations.
Maybe the band will gain some new fans at their show. The guys constantly move around on-stage and don't lose their technicality in the energetic set. Hopefully they'll be headlining soon.
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